Unfortunately long before they become an adult, most people have a personal and visceral understanding of the definition of a “mean drunk”.
With alcohol a factor in at least a third (reported) of all violent crime in the US and even more in some countries, one need not be a statistician to be able to correlate the obvious association between alcohol and violence. The same beer goggles that make us indiscriminately promiscuous can also lower the civilized inhibition that usually prevents aggressive and violent impulsive behavior.
I don’t think this fact comes as a surprise to the public, politicians, and scientists, but in today’s world of protest and mobilization the lackadaisical response to this violence is enigmatic.
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The same society that will contemplate spending trillions to battle global warming and not tolerate tainted toys from China will go out of its way not to take notice of what is arguably the single most identifiable “preventable” cause of harm to the civilized world.
Prohibition: It’s massive failure is the first thing that people think of and a main arguing point of those would say that targeting alcohol is a counterproductive process. Others would argue that the benefits of responsible alcohol use far outweigh its harm and that all shouldn’t be punished for the actions of a few. Well I guess the same could be said for the responsible use of nerve gas as a deterrent, and regarding the damages caused by alcohol abuse the term “few” is extremely misleading.
I would agree however that prohibition is not the answer, but neither is avoidance and misdirected initiatives. Take for instance my choice of pictures for this post; it comes from a past BBC story about a proposed ban of glass bottles in Glasgow pubs to curtail their use as weapons. This acceptance and risk reduction are the norm worldwide.
No my answer to this problem is closer to that of the slow but sure campaign that has been waged very effectively in the US against smoking. I propose a “surge” in the war on drugs and alcohol that is more focused on changing the long term social acceptance of alcohol use rather than immediate legislation and enforcement. Of course the anti-smoking lobby has those that equate change with denying liberties, but this is usually the cause of their failed initiatives. No I think long term change is the answer to bringing about a new generation that questions the value of even “responsible drinking” and that alcohol related violence becomes as rare as the vestigial ashtray on commercial flights.
Update: I will continue this series later in the week and leave you with an anti-smoking PSA that is good food for thought when considering my proposed “surge”.
Read part two of this series here.
Read part three of this series here.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
How, as a society, do we have a safe environment? Traditionally, the model has been operant conditioning.
Do we incarcerate?
Do we educate?
Not sure either one works on a large scale.
Should we allow society to create a balance? I.E. Social (and genetic) Darwinism??
Do we have a Mommy State?
My comment is “Who bells the cat?”
Personal opinion is that some of the largest players in our society are making behavior worse, not better.
TV is abhorrent. I don’t watch it.
The video game subset has some very negative influences. Don’t do that, either.
I could go on and on.
Instead of focusing on the actions of the ill and/or deranged members of our society, choosing to focus on healthy people and healthy behavior makes better sense.
Minimization is foolish. We live in a sick place. Keeping my piece of it clean is the price of my recovery.
but I have no qualms about trying to change what is and what is not considered accepted behavior through education, treatment, and enforcement.
The emphasis and adoration our society places on alcohol is unhealthy and counterproductive, but I do not believe you can legislate the type of change needed. Nothing is black and white, either/or, and the change must come from within society not just arbitrarily stated.
One of the best things I’ve found is that people are great copycats. Show them appropriate behavior and they will copy it. The converse is also true, unfortunately.
My personal feeling is that the warning labels on alcohol don’t go far enough. Then again, who actually reads one prior to getting drunk.
The warnings I’d like to see are liver failure, complete with pics and alcoholic dementia. Hey lets not forget suicide by stupidity.
I’m lucky. Friends died of the above maladies. Drew remembers me as I was when he last saw me, prior to getting dementia. An Oxford don relegated to wondering what day it is, not sure where he is or what he needs to do next. That’s a not yet I don’t want..
BTW, it sounds as if you’d like society to have a spiritual awakening.
I couldn’t agree more.
This is fascinating. I’ve been think through some of the same things regarding porn, sexualization of children, sex in advertising. And I’ve been thinking about it in relation to smoking — and considering how to shape public acceptance of unhealthy, demeaning sexual content, since the only models people seem to be able to conceive of are passing laws against things or shaming people — neither of which works, since both drive addict behavior underground and make it harder for the people who need help to get it.
I think you and I both would like to see a world in which healthy behavior was celebrated, and those who had problems could find help.
But to do so we must learn from past mistakes and be careful not to cause more harm than good.